The invention relates to materials used in the construction of buildings, and in particular to trusses and joists for supporting roofs, floors, ceilings, walls and decks. More particularly, the invention relates to trusses and joists fabricated from metal.
There exist numerous truss and joist systems that provide enhanced strength attributes, assembly simplification features, and economies in material and structural composition. The savings in time, effort and money are critical in the construction industry; therefore there is a significant need and demand for truss and joist systems having these traits. While there exist a wide variety of configurations, one common form of truss/joist comprises a pair of elongated chord members joined together by a plurality of web members that span between the chord members. The chord members of this arrangement each comprise a generally U-shaped, integral piece of metal which receive the ends of the web members in the U-shaped portion. The web members are typically secured to the chord members by mechanical means such as screws and rivets, or by welding. Trusses and joists are most economically prefabricated and shipped to construction sites, rather than built as needed at the construction site. While this presents a significant efficiency and cost-saving in construction, it is still imperative that costs of materials be kept as low as possible to be competitive in the industry. The assembly of component parts presents a labor factor that affects the overall cost of the truss/joist. It can take a significant amount of time for the web members to be inserted into, aligned with, and attached to the chord members in manufacturing the truss/joist. Therefore, the manner of assembly of the truss/joist offers an area which can addressed as a way to further lower the cost of materials used in construction.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a low cost metal truss/joist having features which enable rapid assembly, while offering enhanced strength and load capacities